USDA proposes Philippine bananas for Hawaii

Bananas from the Philippines will be allowed into Guam, Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Island under a new proposal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Comments on the proposal will be accepted through March 31, according to a notice from the USDA.

The USDA does not have specific projections for anticipated volume. Banana imports from the Philippines are already allowed into the U.S. mainland, and shipments from the Philippines make up less than 1% of total annual U.S. banana imports of 4.1 million metric tons, according to the USDA.

Bananas from the Philippines should help consumer choice and fruit availability in Hawaii, the USDA said.

In 2011, Hawaii’s banana harvest totaled about 7,900 metric tons, according to the USDA.

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About the Author:

Tom Karst

Tom Karst is national editor for The Packer and Farm Journal Media, covering issues of importance to the produce industry including immigration, farm policy and food safety.
He began his career with The Packer in 1984 as one of the founding editors of ProNet, a pioneering electronic news service for the produce industry. Tom has also served as markets editor for The Packer and editor of Global Produce magazine, among other positions.
Tom is also the main author of Fresh Talk, www.tinyurl.com/freshtalkblog, an industry blog that has been active since November 2006.
Previous to coming to The Packer, Tom worked from 1982 to 1984 at Harris Electronic News, a farm videotext service based in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Tom has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism from Kansas State University, Manhattan.
He can be reached at tkarst@farmjournal.com and 913-438-0769. Find Tom's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/tckarst.